San Rafael Swell -- USGS -- Drinking from a Rock Tank on the Desert

USGS photographer W. B. Emery took this photograph of two thirsty surveyors drinking from a rock tank on the San Rafael Swell. These natural depressions in the rock collect rainwater and snowmelt. Some rock tanks are quite deep and others are shallow like this one in the photograph. According to Ted Ekker, ranchers know where rock tanks are located and have depended upon them to water their horses and cattle. Mormon Tanks, Farnsworth Tank or Cow Tank are places to get water. A rancher might take a couple of barrels on his horse and fill them up from the rock tanks to take back to camp for his animals. There are areas that have really deep tanks in them so if all the closer tanks dry up, ranchers know where to travel to the bigger tanks such as the one in Old Woman Wash which always has water in it.

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USGS photographer W. B. Emery took this photograph of two thirsty surveyors drinking from a rock tank on the San Rafael Swell. These natural depressions in the rock collect rainwater and snowmelt. Some rock tanks are quite deep and others are shallow like this one in the photograph. According to Ted Ekker, ranchers know where rock tanks are located and have depended upon them to water their horses and cattle. Mormon Tanks, Farnsworth Tank or Cow Tank are places to get water. A rancher might take a couple of barrels on his horse and fill them up from the rock tanks to take back to camp for his animals. There are areas that have really deep tanks in them so if all the closer tanks dry up, ranchers know where to travel to the bigger tanks such as the one in Old Woman Wash which always has water in it.